church

Janet, A Success Story. May 17. #TSJ

Today you could really sense the rhythm of Janet being at home for an extended period. Our morning was relaxed and talkative with no urgency to do anything in particular. We continued to discuss the movie Heaven Is For Real and watched YouTube clips of the real people plus a young artist who painted an image of Jesus around the time the real events of the movie were happening and the little boy from the movie said that was the Jesus he saw. Janet was fascinated by it all.

We went downtown to pick up a book we had ordered, One Hundred Years of Solitude, and cruised through “the store we never buy anything at”, just in case there was something to spend the gift card we’ve had for three years on. Nope. If any of you have legitimate use of a $100 Lakehouse gift card, it’s yours.

The only physical workout Janet got today was walking from the car to her seat at church and back out again. On the way in there was no mention of a sore foot but it did come up on the way out without impeding her performance though. There was no mention of it the few times she walked at home.

It was sushi and movie night at home and after rejecting Her thirty minutes into it we both enjoyed August: Osage County. There was not one happy person in the entire film but somehow we enjoyed it anyways. Janet understood it and gave a good recap after and did the same for the day as well even as she was falling asleep. Her memory is improving and I suspect the Dilantin situation has improved, allowing her some cognitive gain.

Praying for a long night of healing sleep and an energetic Sunday.

Janet, A Success Story. April 26. #TSJ

Thanks for complying with the new settings to the emails you receive for this blog, there was a nice spike in the numbers today and that is encouraging to me.

Our morning was leisurely today and Janet started off with a decent Skype chat with her mom. She seemed a little quiet to me in spite of a sleep in but she did toss and turn quite a bit last night so maybe the sleep in just kind of evened things out. Janet came outside with me as we met with the Gardening Committee from our Strata to discuss what shrubs we would like removed and who’s responsibility each one is. I was pleasantly surprised to learn that costs would be shared and most of what Janet and I want to do is likely to be approved.

It was just warm enough outside for Janet and the gardening ladies but not enough to stay out any longer than that so we scanned old photos into the computer until we were hungry for lunch. I made sure Janet helped as much as she could in the kitchen today and she did a solid job. I did give her a break from chopping duty though as she does that a lot at Connect so today was largely assembly practice and Janet is improving nicely.

After a decent nap we went to church this evening where Janet got her first real walking done today. She bravely walked the entire length of the aisle to her seat with me in front acting as her cane. Her steps were large and fast and wobbly at times but got praise from Tim who saw her without the wheelchair and came over to encourage her as did Randi and Wayne a little later. We had a nice long chat with Randi after the service that Janet chose as one of her highlights of the day tonight. He is a kind man going through some tough times and we are grateful we get to cheer him on a little. Janet then walked back up the aisle to her wheelchair more confidently than she did down. Soon I won’t have to be her cane. Walking around the house didn’t happen as much as I wanted to today but when Janet did, she did well. I’ll try again tomorrow to get some video.

Janet and I hadn’t watched a movie for a while so when I pitched the idea, Janet actually got excited. We chose Philomena, making sure the only options were Janet appropriate films. I only had to explain a couple things as the movie went along and Janet remembers seeing the great Judi Dench in other films but couldn’t name them. Unlike Noah, there was not a lot of discussion afterwards but Janet and I both enjoyed.

Praying for a night of uninterrupted sleep and a productive Sunday.

Janet, A Success Story. April 18. #TSJ

A Good Friday it was! Janet was up early and I’m glad now that she was as we had an unhurried breakfast and a smooth trip to church for a 10am service which could have been a real scramble. Had we been five minutes later we would not have gotten our usual seat, which is important to me as we’ve chosen one that allows Janet the best view. Janet really enjoyed the service as it was done in a narrative form with four different readers and interspersed with songs. Janet said she could follow it the whole time.

Since we were in the area we stopped by to see John, Janet’s first visit to his room. She commented on the way up that “this place is really run down” and on the way out “I hope I never have to be in a place like that”. I reminded her that she was in the queue for just such a place even as she transferred to the Rehab ward and because of her hard work she progressed past that. John put on a good show for us but I get a sense he’s not too happy and maybe concerned about something he’s not sharing with us. It was also evident that no one is pushing him to do anything, if he wants to sleep until 9:30 and not have breakfast, they let him. Not cool. Please keep him in your prayers.

Janet helped make lunch before we both had a nap this afternoon which for some reason I seemed to need as much as her. The sun was shining when we got up and Janet went for a nice walk around the kitchen area. It was her first time on this particular course and it included lots of turns, even a 180 degree one that she executed very well. High five! Tomorrow I’m going to try and have her take a step without hanging on to anything. She sort of did it at bedtime tonight and I think she can, I just have to convince her she can.

Our evening was quiet save for a nice conversation with Cam who is in snowy Saskatoon and we got a picture from Laurel in snowy Calgary.

Good Friday?

Good Friday?


Glad we live here!
Our sun bathed tulips

Our sun bathed tulips


Praying for a night of deep and healing sleep and a day of celebration tomorrow.

Janet, A Success Story. April 12. #TSJ

Shopping day was finally here. Janet remained lukewarm this morning to the idea of shopping for a dress to wear to Heather and Allan’s wedding in June but promised to give it a good go. I wasn’t that confident, as Janet seemed low on energy and certainly not her brightest. I went to the first store with her and Heather and thought it was cool the owner came right over and offered to help. Janet was quiet about everything and a little disinterested and it seemed like this was going to be a long day. To take some pressure off, I dropped the ladies off at the mall and went to visit John for a bit. He’s in a temporary care home now and starting to settle in there a little. Please keep him in your prayers as he has to adjust to some big changes in his life. Upon my return to the mall Janet happily informed me they had found something. Turned out she wasn’t a hundred percent sure on it so the hunt continued. A little while later I got another report of success and the mission was being declared a success. Janet had steadily declined in energy level and to me didn’t seem to be having any fun at all. She was really neglecting her right side, frequently crashing into things. Thinking some food might help, we grabbed mall food and Janet only ate half of hers so we headed home for what I thought would be a good long nap.

An hour’s worth of rest helped Janet a little and happy hour on our patio helped more. This was the first time we’ve sat outside in the sun at our new house and it felt really good. Janet didn’t want it to end but a cloud covered the sun just as it was time to get ready for church so with her seeming more like herself, off we went. Tonight’s service “was a good one” says Janet and she was able to follow along with Tim’s message. By the time we were most of the way through our sushi dinner after church, Janet was fading again. She didn’t eat as much as she usually does and wasn’t really initiating any conversation. Back at home it was time to try on the dress and the other clothes Janet got today. She was pleased with her dress but Heather and I are so so with it. What do you think?

Potential mother of the bride dress.

Potential mother of the bride dress.


Heather and I like the top.

Heather and I like the top.


By this time Janet was quite out of it and should have gone to bed but she wanted ice cream so she quietly enjoyed that before getting ready. There was a return of her toileting challenges from last week this evening and put me in a foul mood. I don’t understand how she can be so bright and with it most of the time then have lapses like this. I pray that tomorrow, Janet is refreshed, rejuvenated, positive and energetic.

Janet, A Success Story. March 29. #TSJ

Janet woke me up early this morning to go to the bathroom. Should have been even earlier though. Nice move anyways. After figuring out that the microwave doesn’t make good toast, we enjoyed a sunny breakfast and got caught up on some emails. I had Janet walking a lot this morning and each time she improved even to the point where she was bringing her right foot slightly ahead of her left one each step.

The sun was out for most of the day and we took the dog for a spin around the neighbourhood. Janet loved the feeling of the warm sun on her face. We could see black clouds off in the distance and sure enough five minutes after Janet went for a nap it got a little ugly out there. Good timing us.

I had visions of Janet walking down the aisle to our seats at church tonight but I think that would be pushing it too far yet. The floor is sloped and we sit near the front which is a long ways from the lobby so it would take awhile. Soon it will happen though. Janet stood for a record long time tonight and totally understood Scott’s message and was quite pleased that she did.

Our evening was sushi and a movie, The Dallas Buyers Club. Janet loved the sushi but is still complaining a little of a sore tummy. She found the movie hard to follow but said it was worth watching.

Praying for an uninterrupted night of healing sleep and continued improvement in Janet’s walking abilities.

The Team Save Janet Report is Out! #TSJ #Relax

Today was pretty relaxing for Janet. I made her breakfast for her, she started helping me make cannelloni then had to break for a Skype chat with her mom. I had to run to the store and she asked to watch The Sound of Music while I was gone. Bad call on my part as once she started watching there was no stopping her. I must find a way to harness that joy and positiveness she exudes when singing along to something like that. I made lunch and she continued to watch and sing. I did get her to walk from the table to the couch after lunch and then back for a bathroom break later. She did well and hopefully we can do more tomorrow.

After getting some minor help in the kitchen I noticed Janet was in need of a nap which she happily took for an hour or so. After another good transfer from wheelchair to seat at church Janet stood and sang for a long time and loved watching people get baptized tonight. I pray that she will want to make that commitment one day.

We brought home Greek food for dinner and watched Nebraska. Janet was entranced throughout and took practically the whole movie to eat her dinner. It wasn’t quite worthy of a Janet fist pump at the end but it sure got a big smile after some giggles during and an appreciation of the very “real” characters in the film. We highly recommend.

Thanking Jesus for blessing me with time to spend with Janet.

The Team Save Janet Report is Out! #TSJ #timeflies

Mostly because of the dog, our day got off to a rather early start which was kind of nice. We were finished breakfast before we often have started it and that left lots of time for other things. After making her own breakfast, coffee first of course, Janet had some emails to respond to and once completed asked if we could work on the old photos. She did a great job with the scanner again and we got a nice pile of paper transferred onto the computer.

I convinced Janet to try something other than grilled cheese for lunch and she enjoyed making a turkey breast sandwich for herself. Her kitchen skills are improving steadily and she needs very little coaching as long as she’s awake enough.

We tried to finish watching the Ladies Figure Skating today and got through the first half before Janet needed a nap. Knowing that the Olympics end tomorrow has Janet a little sad but The Voice starts Monday and that should fill the void nicely.

Yesterday’s pants shopping needed correcting today and as we drove to the mall before church we both wondered where the day had gone. We had that early start and it felt like we had so much time but it just flew by. We exchanged Janet’s pants and picked up a few other things Janet slowly lost her energy. The mall is bad for you. I wasn’t expecting much from Janet heading into church but she pulled off her best transfer into her seat yet. Very strong and deliberate and following my verbal cues exactly. While standing during one of the worship songs Janet let go of the pew in front of her for a few seconds and scratched her nose. I don’t even think she realized she was free standing but I sure did. Nice!

Janet helped put dinner together and chose to watch the rest of the figure skating after that which was a bad call as she fell asleep with six skaters to go. Guess we’ll try tomorrow. Praying for a solid night of sleep and a productive Sunday.

The Team Save Janet Report is Out! #TSJ #family

Janet woke up at a good time this morning and with lots of energy. She got her own breakfast and I helped her check her emails during that time. Janet is getting less resistant towards replying to emails provided she can dictate rather than type. As soon as breakfast was done it was time for a Skype chat with Janet’s dad and Joan. Janet was quite animated during the conversation and carried it quite well, laughing lots and talking clearly. That’s the most fun I’ve seen her have chatting with anyone in a long time and it really showed a connection between dad and daughter.

During that call it was mentioned that Janet’s dad had started making notes on his life story a few years ago. Joan kindly sent them to us and we spent the rest of the afternoon reading about the childhood of Janet’s dad up until his first year of university. It was a lot of reading and except for a lunch break Janet insisted I keep going as she wanted to know what happens. She says she learned a lot about her dad and hopes he finds a way to write more, especially about when her and her siblings were born.

All that reading took us through nap time and right up to church time. Janet asked me to help her push her wheelchair more which I refused to do of course. She says she wants me doing more of that for her because it isn’t fair that she has to because it’s hard. No sympathy from me and she wheeled herself from the car to her seat at church in record time. The service was great and brought out a lot of “why me” questions from Janet which we discussed during the car ride home. She was not getting upset at all and asked legitimate questions that I tried my best to answer. There is no absolute answer to those questions but it was good to have the conversation, it had been awhile.

Janet helped make dinner and we watched more recorded figure skating before a tired Janet went to bed early for begin at home. Praying for a night of deep and healing sleep and a productive tomorrow.

The Team Save Janet Report is Out! #TSJ #sidestep

A bright sunny morning helped Janet and I get up and at em today albeit with no set agenda. After breakfast while watching Canada win gold and silver in Women’s Moguls we cleaned up from our wine club gathering last night with Janet able to empty the dishwasher full of wine glasses and also help me shrink the dining table back to every day size. We scanned a whole bunch more old photos into the computer with Janet manning the scanner again and doing what I believe has been a good job of identifying people and approximate dates of photos. We had some laughs and got a lot done before nap time that was spent more in reading than napping.

Janet executed a very nice transfer from her wheelchair to her seat in church tonight especially the side stepping part. She was very confident and well balanced, in fact all of her transfers were like that today with her only challenge remaining control of her right leg. I sense a little more muscle activity there but that doesn’t seem to be equating to an increase in control yet.

It has been a while since we brought home sushi for dinner and watched a movie and Janet was happy to do so tonight. We watched Captain Phillips and although it is not a Janet movie she enjoyed it and didn’t find it to be too scary or violent. A little wound up afterwards it was good the Olympics were on and we stayed up too late watching the Men’s Downhill partly so Janet could “forget” the movie.

Praying for a night of deep and healing sleep and for a productive day tomorrow.

The Team Save Janet Report is Out! #TSJ #homework

Most Saturdays at home with Janet start late as she takes a well deserved sleep in, not today. Awake at her normal Connect get up time, 7:45, our day started. Turned out to be a good thing as we got a lot done. Janet made herself toast and coffee and we mapped out our day before the weekly Skype chat with Mary/Gaga. Janet carried this chat really well and seemed quite on the ball.

Today was finally time to put Janet’s memorabilia into scrapbook type things and we both enjoyed looking through some of the stuff and remembering things from early on in our relationship. It was a little emotional at times and a good exercise for Janet to go through. It also validated my policy of getting all this stuff into a useful medium as opposed to stuffed in a box in a place no one goes. I don’t want Janet or anyone living in the past but boy there are some powerful things to be learned there like what an awesome mother she is, what a talented drawer and story teller she was. Hopefully some confidence was built today.

We worked steadily until well past lunchtime when I helped Janet make her grilled cheese sandwich. I need to have her practice operating the cooktop more as when she gains that skill she’ll be able to make lunch completely on her own.

There was no arguing about nap time today as it was a busy first part of the day for Janet that even included some free standing. Janet awoke in time for us to meet Suzanne at church and enjoy an excellent worship experience. Janet propelled herself, transferred, stood and sang well tonight. The only thing she didn’t really do well at was using her chopsticks while out for sushi dinner. Maybe it was the sake she finally agreed to try, I don’t know but this was a messy one. Still a very enjoyable evening, thanks for making it so, Suzanne.

Janet and I enjoyed fresh baked cookies from our neighbour, Betty, when we got home and were able to read a lot of Open before Janet went to bed. I’m glad we chose to read while Janet was awake enough to understand what I was reading as it was pretty deep and interesting stuff tonight. Fun to read and discuss with her.

Praying for a night of deep and healing sleep and lots of energy for a fun tomorrow. Go ‘hawks!